Following the success of the 2025 event, the ASLI 2026 reflective retreat will be held on 18th April 2026. 

About the reflective retreat: 

ASLI's Reflective Retreat Day offers interpreters/translators a rare opportunity to step back from the demands of practice and invest in professional and personal wellbeing. Set in a calm, supportive environment, this immersive day combines reflective tools, practical frameworks, and guided discussion to help participants navigate workplace pressures, explore professional values, and proactively shape a sustainable and fulfilling career. Through structured reflection and collaborative exploration, attendees will leave with renewed clarity, confidence, and practical strategies for career longevity.

NRCPD provides partial sponsorship for the ASLI ‘Reflective Retreat' as part of its responsibility to promote excellence and high standards in professional practice. 

Read the full event details and book here.

Feedback from last year's event: 

Read more about last year's reflective retreat in the NEWSLI article: Click Here

About the trainers:

Sarah Bown is an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Business, Arts & Social Sciences at the University of Wolverhampton. A Senior Fellow & Academic Associate of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE), NRCPD registered interpreter, senior practitioner/assessor & standards advisor.   She is a freelance educational consultant, trainer/examiner, researcher and interpreter.  Her professional practice spans four decades including 30 years of designing/delivering university level interpreter education programmes.  Between 1999-2025 she was a senior lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton.  

She has conceptualised critical reflective learning/practice as an integral part of an interpreting student’s journey at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This successful design has been consecutively praised by external examiners and disseminated at UK and EU levels. 

A university interpreting course leader across 2 decades and a driving force in curriculum innovation, she led a fledging interpreting programme to many achievements including the highest level of professional accreditation. 

A former public sector & charitable services interpreting manager. She has served EFSLI's (European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters) ‘committee of experts’ and ASLI’s (Association of Sign Language Interpreters) editorial board. She currently sits as a Board Director for ASLI with a UK strategic remit for ‘trainee’ interpreters.  

Her research span includes interpreting, translation, health literacy/access of deaf people and most recently, significant contribution to awareness raising & the subsequent development of educational workshops/video resources for deaf people and the menopause e.g. corporate.hollandandbarrett.com/news/9-05-2024/

A passion for sport, the natural world, travel and music has been a lifelong feature for her.  She currently lives in the Midlands with her husband.  

Russell Aldersson is a freelance interpreter, practice assessor, senior practitioner and professional supervisor. He is also a qualified teacher and currently teaches weekly grammar and reading classes to deaf adults with the City Literary Institute and his doctorate research gave focus to the role of BSL in the teaching of English through the lens of translanguaging. Additionally, he works as a specialist academic support tutor for deaf adults undertaking higher education degrees. Outside of work he enjoys travel and language study and has recently embarked on a master’s in creative writing.